Do you have a mentor? Greats like Richard Branson, David Beckham, Mozart and Oliver Stone have drawn from the influence of mentors. By working with a mentor, you can tap into the proven experience, network and knowledge of someone established in your field.
If you don’t have a mentor, try approaching someone whose work you admire. In most cases, the potential mentor will be flattered. Even if they’re too busy to take you on, they may be able to point you in the direction of another potential mentor.
Over the course of my career, I’ve worked with several mentors. Along the way, I’ve also mentored several people. I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping other people along — and in helping give back to the community that helped me get going.
Do you have a mentor?
I agree wholeheartedly with this article. I had a mentor when I was in a technical writing graduate program in Michigan and she was great! She was a successful freelance technical writer and had a steady client bas. The first time I visited her office she gave me a crash course on using styles in MS Word. I didn’t know then, but that was one of the most valuable things I learned. Unfortunately, I moved out of state and we lost contact. Now I have to find a new mentor in my current city.